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Messages - mrticsay

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1
General Discussion / is the "database" the same?
« on: December 29, 2011, 09:40:10 PM »
Corey,

I'm likely to upgrade to V3, just haven't been in a "rush" to do it yet.  However, I may have something that will get me moving sooner...

Is the TD "database" still the same as in v2 in that everything is stored within various files and managed exclusively by TD?  Or, have you moved things to a database like Access or something else?

Wondering because of some reporting I'm thinking of developing and not sure if I should start now based on the "exporting" capabilities that exist or if I can upgrade to v3 and read straight from a datastore without exporting.

Thanks,
Michael

2
Suggestions / Re: Sync
« on: May 06, 2009, 09:38:08 AM »
The new data stores feature is one way to deal with this (lots of scenarios on how to use it).

Another approach is to put all the files on a flash drive and carry the flash drive from computer to computer (and have the data store on each computer point to the flash drive).  That's the method I've started using and you don't have to worry about copying files at all.

3
Beta Testing / Re: Upcoming version question
« on: May 01, 2009, 02:54:53 PM »
I don't think its necessary to keep any information on the layout with a tournament.  I believe a tournament is the data associated with it- who played, what the buy-ins were, what structure we played, who busted who/when, what the payouts were, etc and that anything to do with presentation- layout, events, sounds, chips, etc. doesn't matter (tables don't matter either).  So both storing the data or a reference to a layout file isn't necessary

I'd like to be able to setup defaults for the presentation so that when I startup TD, I get my default layout, sounds, chips, etc.  I accomplish that today with the default tournament setting.  Therefore, in your future plans, I'd propose an extended view of layout, or a new structure like "presentation" (but I'm sure there's something better) which incorporates all the non-tourney data.  So, I don't have to load a layout template, then a chip template, then an event template, etc.  In this case, I'd want the "presentation" structure to be linked references to the template files.  When a "presentation" is opened, it brings in the current version of the referenced template files.

A proposed modification/enhancement to your (1)- have two different buttons- save tournament and save "presentation" (whether in addition to the save prompting or as a replacement).

However you do it, I like the idea of separting this (as you probably would have guessed based on my prior posts).

4
Suggestions / Re: Double prize pool / multiple prize pool
« on: April 28, 2009, 05:42:24 PM »
Hi Corey.

Just wondering. Double prizepool this year?

Or any ideas as how to make it work?

/DK

Btw - still love your program. :)


Check out my post at http://thetournamentdirector.net/forums/index.php?topic=600.msg8360#msg8360 with a method for doing two pools.  It doesn't do autocalculating, but its pretty straightforward to manage if the number of players is not too large.

5
Help Me / Re: Multi-Tiered Buy-ins
« on: April 22, 2009, 03:26:25 PM »
As a follow-up to my prior note, you can use the player buy-in screen to increase the amount of their buy-in and their rake.  This would adjust the main pool to payout properly.  You could then use the fixed 2nd pool payout files as I described in the earlier post.

What I like about doing the "add-on" approach is that TD now has a nice, simple record/indicdator of who did the larger buy-in.  You could use the buy-in amount to tell you this as well. 

In addition, using the add-on has things setup to quickly buy-in the players this way.  If you use the buy-in screen, you have to increase each person's buy-in and their rake.

Either approach works basically the same, so its largely a matter of preference.

6
Help Me / Re: Multi-Tiered Buy-ins
« on: April 21, 2009, 05:14:48 PM »
I use the add-on for the 2nd pool/tier and specify that the add-on has a rake equal to the add-on fee and that they get no additional chips.  This removes the amount from the main prize pool.

I have setup payout files with fixed amount payouts where the prize is predetermined and locked based on the number of players in the 2nd pool.  I give each prize a display name that distinguishes it from the main pool.  I need a different file for each number of players since there is not a way to make this a formula.

I load the appropriate 2nd pool payout file before loading the automatic prizes at the top of the prizes list.  Now, all your prizes are loaded.

At the end of the tourney, you can go to the Prizes/Edit Prizes screen an assign these prizes to the players who won them.

I haven't found a way for the system to track these players and calculate payouts...but this turned out to be an easy alternative (I'm just responsible for tracking who is in the second pool...and we've had no problems with that)

7
Suggestions / Re: TD Startup Reinstalling Files?
« on: March 29, 2009, 07:39:15 PM »
Corey,

I'm not editing any of the install files (therefore not worried about overwrites).  What I've been doing is after the intall I would run a script to move out files I knew I didn't use just to make my directories cleaner.  It may just be that I had never noticed before now that they were reinstalled on startup.

Thanks for the clarification and the hint on the dataStore.txt file.  I'll figure out my next steps.

Thanks again!
Michael

8
Suggestions / TD Startup Reinstalling Files?
« on: March 28, 2009, 12:29:16 PM »
Corey,

On startup, is TD now reinstalling some files.  What I've specifically noted is files in the templates directory like RaceTrack*.xml, RoundEight*.xml, sample*.*, etc. etc.

Since I've got all my own custom files that I use, after each upgrade I would run a script to save off these files to another directory.  This allowed me to keep them for reference or future use, but cleaned up the directories for any time I was trying to lookup/open a file.

Its not a big deal if it is doing this as I'll come up with a new scheme for managing the installed files (or my personal files), but wanted to see if I understood what is happening now.

Thanks,
Michael

9
Suggestions / Re: Automatic Prize File
« on: February 27, 2009, 10:12:43 AM »
I'll give it some thought.  I've already decided to pull the Layout from the tournament file.


Interesting.

I've always had mixed feelings about copying things into the file versus linking things into the file.  Arguments can be made for either approach.

One thing I like about everything being in the file is that for completed tourneys, you have a complete picture of the tourney at the time of the tourney.  Any future changes to rounds, payouts, etcs are not reflected in the tourney.

One thing I like about links is that you can start a fresh tourney with the latest versions of everything without having to load all the individual templates.

So, a "compromise" may be that completed (or even in-process) tourneys are saved with copies of everything and templates and unstarted tourneys are links.  Obviously, that's more logic for you and I'm sure there are differing opinions from users on what they want.

If going towards a decoupled/linked approach, I'd really like to see the Toolbox elements and individual Screens be therir own files/templates (or something).  This would allow me to define and change Toolbox items that can be used across Screens/Layouts with having to redefine them within each Layout file.  Similarly, by defining a Screen individually, I could use it across multiple Layouts without having to redefine as well.

Personally, these aren't that big a deal for me anymore because I've pretty much settled on the toolboxes, screens and screen sets I use.  But every once in a while, I play around and tweak them and these features would make that easier to do.

Thanks

10
Suggestions / Automatic Prize File
« on: February 24, 2009, 08:47:26 PM »
Corey,

So I've moved my prize suggestion files.  Yes, file(s) because I have different payout structures for different tourneys.

I have tdt files for each of my tourney structures and I can quickly load each structure.  However, I have to remember to go into the config files area and change to the appropriate payout file.  Not a big deal, but a minor nuisance.

I'd like to be able to save the link/path to a payout file as part of the tdt file so I don't have to reload everytime.

I know tdt files are copies of all the templates used to create it and the links to the original templates aren't kept.  I'd be fine with the payout file being copied into the tdt file like everything else.  But,  I'm guessing that the payout processing is handled a bit differently because of their existence in the lib directory.  So, how you implement is up to you (of course) and I'd be happy with either the link or the data itself.

This is a relatively low need, but a suggestion none-the-less.

Michael

11
Suggestions / Re: Data Stores
« on: February 24, 2009, 08:35:38 PM »
Corey,

Thanks for the explanation. 

I have not modified the system files.  I copied and edited to create my own payout schedules.  I happened to keep them in the same directories as the originals.

I'm comfortable with the moving my versions of the files out of the /lib directory and into a place in the data store (which, of note, I did when I moved the other files).

So with your explanation of the purpose of /lib, I'm comfortable that no change is needed.

Thanks again for this feature...I now have one other program that I wish would move their data files from the program directory!

Thanks for the continued work on, and support of, this product!

Michael

12
Suggestions / Data Stores
« on: February 20, 2009, 08:38:56 PM »
Corey,

Just getting started with the new data store feature, but have to say I like that this has been pulled out of the programs directory.

Why is the lib directory not part of the data store?  I have a number of customized files in their to handle my prize structure.  I'd like to pull those out of the program directory as well.

Thanks,
Michael

13
Suggestions / Re: Banner- fit while maintaining proportions
« on: December 18, 2007, 05:04:37 PM »
Already done.  The Banner Sets dialog now allows you to set one dimension and leave the other blank.  The resulting image will have one dimension set to the size you specified, and the other dimension sized proportionally.

I realize the issue with banner sets resetting when screens change - it has always been an issue and I've always been aware of it.  But frankly, not a lot of people use the banners, or those that do don't change the screens, so it has never received much attention (and probably won't).

THANKS...I'll look for it in the next release and let you know.

I understand about the screen changes...I'll look for a way to use the feature outside of those changes.

14
Suggestions / Re: Banner- fit while maintaining proportions
« on: December 18, 2007, 01:10:09 PM »
I had considered this when I was writing that last response, but decided you were ultimately asking something else.  I'll look into this - shouldn't be hard.

Don't spend a lot of time on this unless you really want to...its not a desperate need for me.

What I could "live with" and might be easier to impment is:
1) a cell is given a fixed size (so it's size can be determined
2) banner items are given the property option of somthing like "size to fit, maintain proportion"

The system would then figure out how to adjust the photo to fit either by calculating and specifying both dimension, or calculating and specifying one dimension and letting the system handle the other.

Still, I've found a limitation to my use of this.  I'd like to have a banner of alternating images displaying throughout the tourney.  However, I also use screen sets to change what is being displayed (clock & blinds constant, other data alternating).  When I do this, with each screen change, the banner gets reset to the 1st image.  I kind of expected this would happen.  If there's not a way, and probably not without a lot of effort, to have a banner display rotate through everything while also rotating through screens (its been placed on each), then I'm unlikely to use this feature.  The alternating tournament display has become more valuable/useful than anything I might do with banners.

15
Suggestions / Re: Banner- fit while maintaining proportions
« on: December 14, 2007, 05:08:48 PM »
The problem lies on the way the TD constructs the layout.  Cells (or the HTML that defines cells) are not set with specific sizes, but rather made to fill the screen (using things like "width=100%").  Since cells are defined this way, the cell will take up only as much room as its contents need, and then IE will decide how to stretch the various cells on the screen such that the entire page uses up the entire window size (or screen size if in full-screen mode).

If a cell is empty, it will take up no space (or possibly just a few pixels in a particular direction - frankly I'm not sure how IE decides this).  For example, start up the TD and don't load a tournament.  You'll have basically no tournament settings and the default layout.  Go to the Tournament screen and press "1" to display the main page.  Notice the bottom and the bottom-right.  The bottom is the Prizes cell, but since there are no prizes defined, there is nothing in the cell, and it takes up only a pixel or two in height.  Because it is the only item in a row, IE still lays it out with the full width of the screen.  In the bottom-right is the Chips cell, but since there are no chips defined, the cell is also empty.  Notice that it is a few pixels taller (again, not sure why it's not 0 pixels tall, or why it's taller than the Prizes cell), and it is the width of the other items that are in the same column.

When you set a banner to "Stretch" mode, it sets the banner image's height and width to 100%.  This means however tall and wide the enclosing element is.  But since the enclosing element is also set to 100% height/width, we have a catch-22.  How tall and wide should the cell/image be?  Unfortunately, IE doesn't default to at least the actual size of the image, but instead it's as if the image is 0 pixels tall and wide.  That's why if you use the Stretch mode, you must define the height and width of the cell explicitly.  I believe this is documented in the user manual.

So basically you must tell the rendering engine how tall and wide to make the images.  If you want all of your banner images to fit into a specific cell, set the cell's height and width.  Then set each of the banners to Stretch mode.


Corey,

Thanks for the deailed explanation. 

I was hoping there was a way to query a cell's size to help in determining this.  It sounds like that's not the case.

The "problem" with specifying a fixed size cell and specifying stretch is that, if the proportions of the image are different than the cell, the image gets distorted.   If all the images were the same proportion, then I could make the cell the same proportion and things would be fine.  But, I know all images will not be the same unless I edit them all.

What I'd like to do is specify one of the dimensions that I know from the fixed cell size and let the other dimension be handled by the system.  For example, I modify the <img> tag when putting a picture in a cell to specify either "width=nnn" or "height=nnn" so that it fits in the cell.  The system adjust the photo so that dimension is that size and the other dimension is adjusted to maintain the proportions.

Of note, making this work is not a high priority for me.  I thought I had a really neat thing I could do using banners, but if I have to do lots of image editing, etc., I'll just pass.  And my use would be pure "fluff", it won't change anyone's ability to play the game or follow the structure.

Thanks!

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